The Iraqi ambassador to Kuwait, Al-Manhal Al-Safi, said residents of Gulf countries were allowed to enter Iraq without a prior visa, during Iraq’s hosting of the 25th Gulf Championship, which will kick off, Friday, in the Iraqi province of Basra.
He told Al-Nahar daily that entry into Iraq, whether through land or vital ports, will be by placing an entry stamp upon arrival.
He went on to say, anyone who has a valid residency in the GCC countries, regardless of his nationality, can go to all Iraqi cities, including religious cities.
He added, “We hope that this measure, which was established only for the Gulf 25 period, will prevail, pointing out that it is an experiment that the Iraqi authorities are carrying out to build on later.”
Regarding Basra’s readiness to receive delegations, he said: “Yes, Basra is ready in all respects to receive the participating sports teams, guests, fans, and journalists — the teams of Bahrain, the Emirates, Yemen, Oman, and the Saudi Blue and Green, and the Qatari Burgundy teams.”
Regarding the Iraqi government’s interest in the success of “Gulf 25”, he said: “The aim of holding the tournament is to increase the cohesion between the peoples of this region, especially the brothers in the Gulf Cooperation Council. In addition, Iraq has not had the opportunity to organize this tournament for 42 years, and its holding in the Basra Governorate specifically is a message to the Gulf Cooperation Council and Yemeni brothersthat Iraq is able to receive its brothers, that it is recovering, and that it is eager to perpetuate the spirit of brotherhood between the brotherly countries.
Al-Manhal Al-Safi sent a message to the supporters of the teams participating in the “Gulf 25” and to Al-Azraq fans in particular, saying: The support of the Prime Minister and the government is to provide all facilities and remove what would impede the entry of brothers, friends of Iraq of all nationalities, and it will be through the airports (Basra Airport) and other ports; one is Bariya from the Safwan port and the Arar port from the Saudi side.
Stressing that there are great facilities for the entry of cars and drivers through the adoption of an approved mechanism between countries, including the need for cars registered in the Gulf countries to have a temporary customs entry, triptych, or KT, pointing out that a large number of cars began to flock to (KT) offices, expecting fans to flock to Iraq and Basra in the coming hours.
He pointed out that the authorities in Basra Governorate (the Ministry of Transport) worked to provide buses to transport fans directly from the Safwan port to the heart of Basra for free.
Al-Safi said that this matter can revive the Iraqi economy and stimulate tourism, pointing out that the concern was a security concern and has begun to fade.
He pointed out that the opening ceremony, which will be held, Friday, will be a big ceremony befitting this occasion and the return of the Gulf championship to Iraq.
He urged the audience to visit Basra and said: The Gulf championship has a flavor that differs from other championships because it is a competition between brothers and it is expected that it will be a strong championship.
And about the fans taking advantage of this occasion the fans enter Iraq and once they obtain the entry stamp, they can roam all over Iraq from south to north except for what he called sniping or hunting, as it is subject to certain procedures and certain requirements agreed upon that are not given to visitors during this period saying what is available is for tourism, religious visits, watching matches, shopping or trade.
Al-Safi mentioned that the Safwan port was modernized to receive visitors, expressing his happiness at the modernization that the port witnessed because the port expresses the country and its interface as the first thing a tourist sees.
As for holders of Article 17 passports, Al-Safi said that they deal with Gulf citizens in addition to obtaining a security clearance from the security of the ports.
He stated that the documents and papers required is a passport for Kuwaitis valid for a period of no less than 6 months, a passport for residents, a civil card, and a passport for Gulf nationals coming to Kuwait and wishing to enter Iraq through the Abdali port.
Away from the Gulf championship, Al-Safi said the date for the joint bilateral committee has not been set due to the connections of officials of the two countries in the coming period, indicating that communication is continuing between the two sides and through diplomatic channels to determine the appropriate date.
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